Page 75 of If Ever

I can't resist her a second longer. I lean over and nuzzle her neck. She giggles. "You know every possible way to drive me crazy. Do you realize that?" She smells pretty damn good too.

She shakes her head.

"And, you have no idea you're doing it." I run my hands over the bedspread feeling her bare thighs beneath, but the downy filling won't let me close enough. "Oh God, you're killing me."

Chelsea giggles. Her eyes gaze into mine. "I'm sorry. I was only going for comfort."

I can't resist caressing her cheek, but I need to get a hold of myself before things get out of hand. "You can get comfortable in my bed anytime you want." But I roll to a sitting position with my back to her. "I'm giving you exactly five seconds to get out of bed. After that, I'm not sure I can control my actions."

She must believe me, because the bed dips as she gets up. Suddenly she whips past me with her dress in hand.

"Where are you going?"

"The bathroom."

She dashes to the door, distracting me with a great view of her long slender legs.

"Chelsea, wait!" I put up a hand to stop her.

But she's already opened the door. The talking in the living room halts. She freezes just outside my door. I step up behind her and imagine her shock to find three startled guys staring at her.

She takes a step back. "I'm sorry," she says with a squeak to the guys while tugging the front of my T-shirt lower and giving me a nice view of lavender in the back.

"No apologies necessary," says Justin from the couch with a guitar across his lap.

I lean against the doorframe and push a hand through my hair. Here we go.

"Hey, Tom, how long have you been hiding her?" Paul says, grabbing a beer out of a six-pack on the table.

"A month or so." I answer with a straight face.

"No kidding? I've been wondering why you're so blasted happy," Ryan says.

Chelsea turns and stares at me in disbelief. Her hair is totally mussed and looks like we've been through ten rounds of bedroom gymnastics.

"Chelsea, this is Justin, Paul and Ryan. Guys, this is Chelsea."

Her shocked eyes search mine, and I suddenly realize her concern at being half dressed in front of a bunch of strange guys, so I put her at ease. "Don't worry they're all gay."

"I'm not gay," says Paul, cracking open his beer.

"Sure you are," says Ryan, his hair slicked back from a recent shower.

"Justin is about to leave on tour, and Ryan is trying to find a job," I explain.

"I have a job, just not the right job," Ryan says.

"He's a cater waiter for the beautiful people," Paul volunteers with a smirk.

"Paul's girlfriend threw him out again." Justin strums the guitar.

"See! I'm not gay." Paul says.

"But everyone thinks you're gay," says Ryan.

"Nice to meet you," Chelsea says politely.

"And nice to see Tom with a girl,” Ryan says. “We were starting to worry he'd never find another woman willing to put up with his eccentricities. You see, the poor guy's been alone since—

"Ignore them.” I interrupt before he regales her with the sordid details of my last failed relationship. Chelsea glances at me with raised eyebrows.

“The bathroom's there." I point to the open door. Chelsea smiles weakly and disappears, locking the door behind her.

Justin says, "You actually found a girl who'd come home with you?"

"She likes me," I say puffing out my chest.

"Not any more!" Chelsea hollers through the closed door, and the guys burst into laughter.

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